Summerfest

Another summer has come and gone just as quickly as the one before it. For a birder, it's a reminder that time is running out for the year!

Garter Snake in Wisconsin

Each year, I sit down and make a list of birds and places that need to be seen.  It becomes more and more complicated as I go.  This summer was an interesting one.  

Pronghorn in the Ciénagas Grasslands

Between the ABA splits, Arizona, California and Wisconsin, I have been able to add 29 new life birds to the list this year.  The challenges increase for each new bird found.  

Woodhouse's Toad

Some of the highlights, so far, (for this year) have included birds like the Pine Flycatcher, Kirtland's Warbler, Spotted Dove, Little Gull, Yellow-billed Loon, Streak-backed Oriole and Rusty Blackbird. None of these birds were located close to home so it takes a great deal of planning and strategy to find them. 

Inca Dove

And it should be mentioned that as I find new birds, I also have better views of others. Plus I've had the pleasure of meeting so many wonderful people along the way.

Blue-winged Teal

Currently, I sit at 734 lifebirds. And I do mean sit.  I still have a potential pelagic to do as well as 2 other trips before the year is up. I'm hoping to hit the 800 mark before the December 31st deadline! Wishful thinking? Or a fool's errand?  That remains to be seen.   As long as I move forward and do not become stagnant, I'm okay.  As I advance in my years, a lot of my work will take me out of the country more often than it does now.  I have pretty much finished finding new birds in AZ and surrounding states. Of course, there will be rare birds visiting like they do, but there won't be as many to chase. Soon it will be time to tackle a bigger place, known as Earth.

Baltimore Oriole

My current stand for the year is 435 bird species seen in the US.  And for North America, 444 birds. 

Common Terns

I never know what each year will bring, but it seems to me that this year has been about target birding very specific areas that require a lot of energy and planning for just ONE bird. For example, a trek out to Catalina Island landed us the Spotted Dove and US countable Red-billed Tropicbird. A lot of study went into the Kirtland's Warbler habitat in Wisconsin.  We wanted to see that bird in Wisconsin and not Michigan so it took us several months to plan on legal ways of finding the bird without getting in trouble.    

Botteri's Sparrow

Some birds, like the Rusty Blackbird, required me to go to the area 3 times before locating it. And one of those times, we had someone shooting at us! Other birds, like the Little Gulls, required patience as I scanned through hundreds of Bonaparte's Gulls. 

Cassin's Sparrow

While out on the road in southern Arizona, we had excellent views of breeding Botteri's and Cassin's Sparrows in the grasslands. In the large scheme of things, I have seen a lot of rare birds like the Arctic Tern and Purple Gallinule. The most important thing to remember about birding is that it's about YOU and the BIRDS.  I think people can get lost with the whole "competition" thing.  It's not a competition, but it certainly feels like one sometimes.  For me, it's about mastering the art of birding. This is also a potential career move after retirement. For me, it's about the travel and storytelling behind each new bird found. I'm a world birder not just an Arizona birder.  It'll be hard to let go of that ownership and attachment that I have for this state. It is, after all, where I began really studying my birds. I have to save that money for other expenses now which should include some remodeling of our bathrooms...or a tile floor:) 

Nesting Gray Hawks are studied by the UA

I ask myself these questions daily. What can I do better?  I've never seen that behavior, is that common?  Why wasn't I more patient?  Why wasn't I quick enough with my camera? Where's the darn bird?!!:) I am forever addicted to these birds.  At family events, I'm still looking at birds in the sky while everyone is drinking their beer and chatting about the every day life. I love nature.  And I love being outdoors(minus the bugs and heat). I am so curious about what's going on around me that I forget that the "boring stuff" is important stuff to other people. Don't get me wrong, I still like a good gossip session:)

Killdeer

As this summer ends, I learn that birding for lifers isn't about the quantity.  It's always about the quality of observation.  Each year varies in theme, but if one thing is certain, it's that this all is extremely challenging as it takes me out of my comfort zone.  There is so much to do. And so much to see. As my summer comes to an end, I begin another period of planning for the fall and winter months.  The checklist slowly shrinks as I target areas where there are birds I have never seen.  This year's theme, "Home" will continue. 

The Toad Witch

The invasive Bullfrog

I know I know.  You're all saying, "Um, frogs?"  Well, I better clarify.  It's frogs, toads and a snake with some birds:)  I did my yearly bird survey at the Aribabi Ranch in Mexico during the first week of July. Somehow, the tiny developing Herper inside of me showed some interest:)

Anny holds her target study, the Sonoran toad.  Here is a breakdown of the frogs and toads seen here.  Left side top to bottom-Sonoran Toad, Red-spotted Toad.  Middle, top-bottom, Lowland Leopard Frog, Sinaloa Toad, Spadefoot Toad. Right, top-bottom. Bullfrog, Woodhouse's Toad

It was hot and miserable.  There were also plenty of bugs to add to the uncomfortable nature of our stay.  BUT.  I went with a group studying the Sonoran Toad(also known as the Colorado River Toad).  While they were doing their investigations, I did my own.  They were a wonderful group and made the trip down a whole lot of fun. 

The target species-the Sonoran Toad

Below is a pic of the crew during our dinner event.  The young lady at the corner of the table is Anny.  She is a graduate student who will be working with the venom of the Sonoran Toad to help develop a treatment for such things as drug addiction.  It was fun watching the crew brainstorm and put this project together as a team.  Meanwhile, I was with the herp guy, Jim Rorabaugh.  He's into everything "nature" but he really really likes lizards, toads, frogs and snakes. Over time, I've learned to appreciate them more thanks to Jim's work out in the field. 

I've seen most of the birds on this ranch so getting the bird survey done was a snap.  And I had great views of some birds that would be considered "rare" for the US.  During the nasty heat, a Summer Tanager sits down on a fence and poses. 

As he sings quite proudly, a Broad-billed Hummingbird sails past him. 

During the early morning hours, I would run my survey.  During the afternoon, I'd hide away from the nasty sun.  And during the evening, I went out with Jim and crew to look for frogs and toads!

Sinaloa Toad

In the process, Jim ID's his first ever Sinaloa Toad at the ranch!  There's nothing quite like finding a new species at a place we have surveyed for several years.  Jim has been coming to Aribabi for years and it was a first for him.  To watch him get excited was great fun.  Surprises are the best. This toad was very rare for the area. 

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Also rare?  the Western sub-species of Yellow-billed Cuckoos.  I've been to the ranch over several summers and haven't had more than two pair calling from the Cocospera River.  This year, we had an amazing 3+ pairs of cuckoos!

The first night, it looked like it would storm but it didn't.  Instead, it stayed muggy and I didn't sleep at all.  The second night was better.  We did have a storm blow into the area, but we didn't get any rain from it.  However, the temps cooled way down! 

Spadefoot Toad

During that night, the crew went under barbed wire fences and into grassy areas to look for toads and frogs.  Or whatever else came our way.  People went after frogs in nasty water.  I'd flash lights and bugs would run into me.  I am definitely a birder.  This business of picking up frogs in poopy cattle ponds is not my idea of fun.  However, watching frogger people get into the whole activity was fun. Night time photography is the worst!  50 photos for one decent one.  

Vermilion Flycatcher

During the day time, I relaxed as I casually saw my birds. 

Sinaloa Wren

I made an effort to track down the very vocal Sinaloa Wrens.  They appear to be working on a second clutch for the summer.  The nesting sites were active. 

Here is one of those nests.  It hangs down from the tree.  The hole of the nest is underneath this basket.  Pretty cool!

There were also several other birds I needed to track.  

Woodhouse's Toad-note scary "spider" behind the toad! 

The Thick-billed Kingbirds were back again nesting. 

Thick-billed Kingbird

AND I finally heard and saw the Rose-throated Becards that are always reported from this area. This bird is significant because it is only found around healthy riparian areas.  Their populations have been said to be in decline, but thankfully on this trip, two adults and two juveniles were seen!  I was SO happy.  This is the 4th time I've seen this species in my life.  Maybe one day, I'll finally get to see one in Arizona.

Rose-throated Becard

Then it's time for a muffled scream, followed by a cooooool moment.  If I know there are snakes, I'm okay.  Had I not known about this tiny snake, I would have freaked out.  But Jim gave us a heads up. 

Sonoran Lyresnake

I stand back and try to get a decent photo of the snake for documentation purposes. I can't help feeling the heebie jeebies.  It's a way cool critter and I know it.  But I have this stupid human reaction to snakes.  I wish I could control it, but I can't.  Maybe it's the way they sneakily slink silently along the vegetation. 

Anyhow, our crew got the job done and we were ready to head back home to the cooler temps.  I wish Anny the best of luck on her grad project.  It sounds like a lot of fun.  

Life is an adventure.  Where will we go next?  Stay tuned for more......

Early Holiday Deals

Sometimes the best birding spots are the ones often overlooked.  After a rainy trip up to Greer in August for a couple days, we stumbled on this little gem near Winkelman on the way back home. Sadly, I must report that Santa was not seen in this thick mesquite forest.

Rocky Mountain Toad or Woodhouse's Toad

So if Santa didn't live here, why would someone call this place Christmas?  Apparently on Christmas day in 1902, this mine was staked out and a town would be born. However, it is now a ghost town.  Some old abandoned buildings remain around this area including an old playground.  For three decades, the former post office here was a popular destination for letters postmarked, "Christmas."

Black-tailed Gnatcatcher

I suppose it was like Christmas because I finally was able to obtain decent photos of a Canyon Wren!!!  For months, I had sworn to myself that this bird had it out for me.  I'd hear it, see it and try to get it on camera.  It would jump out on a rock and do its " ascending to descending" call right in front of me.  By the time, I'd get my lens fixed, the bird/s were gone!!  We heard the Canyon Wren calling down the verdant path and we quietly made our way over to where this bird was singing. Both Kathie and myself were able to get some of our best views ever on this bird.    So it was the best Christmas ever!  No cookies or milk were needed for this visit!

Canyon Wren

We marveled at this riparian area as it was full of life.  But Kathie mentioned that she wouldn't want to bird here alone.  I agreed.  Apparently Santa had some homeless elves living around the river as there were elfish things left around various places.

It should also be noted that under the dense mesquite forest, his reindeer pooped a lot.  However they looked more like cattle than deer, but I digress.  I couldn't find a red nose in the bunch.  But we did spot a Vermilion Flycatcher!

We continued under rainy skies searching for birds.  There were several paths and we followed them down to the river.  We were cautious because the river began to rise from the monsoon flooding north of our area.

We found a swing over the river. Not sure if this could hold Santa or not, but it looked like a great way to cool off on this hot and muggy day.  I imagined him taking off that shirt jumping into the muddy waters below.  It wasn't pretty.

Kathie had thought she had seen a Common Black Hawk up on our ride to the Greer area as we passed Winkelman.  We confirmed it once we heard and saw a juvenile Common Black Hawk taking flight.  Now that was pretty thrilling!  I'm not one for the crazy holiday season but I will have to say that this was probably the best Christmas ever.  I also learned that Santa was a miner and cattle rancher in another life:)  More coming up......
Today I'm linking with Wild Bird Wednesday.

Juvenile Common Black Hawk